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(N0 Model.) 2v Sheets-Sheet 1.

MAGAZINE FIREARM.

No. 597,935. Patented Jan. 25, A1898.

1W u n l Mmm .M s u a e h s4 2 NM. wm E F E .Rm G R. A .TM u. d 0 M o m No. 597,935.v`

Patented Jan. 25, 18

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in elevation.

dated May 9, 1896; in Austria, No. 46/ l ated July 29, 1896; in Switzerland,No. 12,098,

Nrrn 8rarns ArnNr Ori-uca.

THOMAS ROBERT RANEY ASHTON, OF NORTH DENILIQUIN, NEW SOUTH WALES.

MAGAZINE-FIREARNI.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 597,985, dated January 25, 1898.

l Application iiled May 8,1896l Serial No. 590,720. (No model.) Patented in England April 21, 1896, No. 8,408; in France April 29,1896, No. 255,967; in Switzerland Apri129, 1896, No. 12,093; in Belgium April29,1896,1\1o.121,111; in Hungary May 9, 1896, No. 6,802, and in Austria'uly 29,1896,No.46/3,043.

To all whom t may concern.-

Be it known that I, THOMAS ROBERT RANEY ASHTON, mechanical engineer, a subject of the Queen of Great Britain, residing at North Deniliquin, in the British Colony of New South 1Vales, have invented an Improved l.gazine-ltifle, (for which I have obtained Letters Patent in Great Britain, No. 8,408, dated April 2l, 1896; in France, No. 255,967, dated April 29, 1896; in Hungary, No. 6,802, 3,043,

cated April 29, 1896, and in Belgium, No.

121,111, dated April 29,'1896,) of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to magazine-rifles constructed on the bolt system; and its main object is to provide a magazine-ride especially adapted for military service, and in which, therefore, simplicity must be the chief point.

From the description and drawings hereinafter referred to it will be seen that the Various parts of the breech-action are much simplified and the number of parts reduced to a minimum, so that the weapon is not likely to get out of order, while the perfectly automatic action of the feed from the magazine and the ease with which the magazine (which is permanently secured to the rifle) may be replenished render a quicker rate of firing possible than has heretofore been attained even with the most approved patterns of magazine-rifles.

1n order that my invention may be easily understood, I will describe it by reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein- Figure 1 is a central longitudinal section of a magazine-rifle constructed according to my invention. Fig. 2 is a plan of the receiver of said riiie removed from the stock and barrel. Fig. 3 is a vertical transverse section on line 8 3,Fig. 1, showin g the rear end of the receiver Fig. 4 is a vertical transverse section on line 4 4, Figs. 1 and 2. Fig. 5 is a central longitudinal section of the magazine, showing the cartridges in position; While Fig. 6 is a central longitudinal section through the bolt of the riiie, and Fig 7 is a horizontal section through the receiver and lower end of the magazine on line 7 7, Figs. 3 and 4f.

The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in all the figures.

A represents the stock; B, the barrel of the riiie; O, the magazine for containing four cartridges, and D the bolt, which is adapted to be slid to and fro within the receiver E by means of the locking-lever F, which projects from` a sleeve f, mounted upon said bolt D, while Grepresents the firing-pin ,which passes through the center of the bolt D and projects through an opening g in the forward end thereof, as clearly illustrated in Fig. 6.

His a cooking-head attached to the rear end of the firing-pin G and is adapted to be engaged by the trigger I when said pin is in either its cocked or half-cocked position, and J represents a vertically-sliding spring-retaining pin, which normally projects up into the receiver and prevents the bolt D being entirely Withdrawn therefrom by engaging with alsinall lugj on the under side of the forward end of said bolt. sliding retaining-pin J is fitted with a spring jg, whose tendency is to always keep it in its raised position, and it is connected to a small lever jg, which may be pivoted, as indicated at jl, on any convenient part of the triggerdrawn down out of the path of the lug j when it is required to entirely withdraw the bolt D from the receiver.

L represents the extractoigwhich is mou nted upon the forward end of the bolt D and is adapted to engage with the rim of the cartridge when the bolt is pushed home, so that when the bolt is withdrawn it will extract said cartridge.

M denotes a spring-stop and' guide-piece which projects into the side of the receiver E opposite to the magazine and which allows only one cartridge at a ti me to fall out of said magazine, and also acts as a guide while said cartridge is being moved into the barrel by the bolt.

The magazine C is, according to my invention, made integral with the receiver E and This verticallyguard K, so that said retaining-pin can be is curved upwardly and outwardly from the right of said receiver, so as to b'ewellr out ofv the line of sight. Its upper portion may, if preferred, be made separate from the lower part, as rndicated at c inv Figs. 3 and 4, and may be secured to said lower part or base by A dovetailing or in any convenient manner.V

` with the rim n of each cartridge behind the rim of the one below it. After filling Athel magazine al cartridge` may bey placed inthe'. fi receiver-and the rifie turned intol itsvnormal' The mouth or opening of the magazinefO extends along its full length and opens into the interior of the receiver immediately be hind the breech end of the barrel.

In order to load the rifle, it is merely neces-1Y sary to draw back the bolt D and to hold the rifle on one side, so that the magazine C is' inclined downwardly,when' the cartridges'can simply be dropped one by oneinto its'mouth,`

when they will automatically arrange themselves in position therein, as shown in The forwardend c2 of the magazine is inclined vupwardly and rearwardly, so that theA Ecartridges N will, when dropped into it, 'as-2 sume the position indicated in Fig. -that is,

- position, when the bolt D. (which had previously `been pulled back to its rea-rmost posifl Y tion in order to insert said cartridges) is'forced for-ward,pushin g the cartridge in thereceiver y into the rbarrel B ready for firing,` as shown in Fig. l.

The spring-stop and guide-piece Mare pref- -l`erably made in one piece and its spring porsys ` thefbolt is withdrawn thatv when the bol-t is v tion m is'secur'ed tothe side of-'the receiver i by a screw or other convenient` contrivance,z as indicated at m in Figs. 2 and 7. It pro-ri jects through a slot m2 (see Fig. 4) inthe side of the receiver and normally assumes the po- :.sition indicated in Fig. 2, so as to allow the first or lower-most cartridge in the magazine to drop into such position in the receiverwhen forced forward the bullet end of the cartridge will be directed intoV the barrel B, and said: spring is of sufcient strength tov prevent more than one cartridge falling into the receiver atonce, though it is not of such a strength as fto'interfere with the forward movement of lthe cartridge and bolt, the-former of which it serves to guide into the breech end of the barrel.

f The bolt itself is constructed as illustrated in Figs. y1 and 6 andhas a-holebored through it from end to end for the passage ofthe ring Ipin G, and at the upper part of 4its forwardA end it is formed with an upwardly-projecting -lug Z, through which passes the extractor 5L and in which said extractor is `pivoted.

- fThe'extractor L is made integral with a rearwardlyLprojectingiiat steel spring l', the '-rearend of which bears upon the bolt D and"v always tends to keep the'hook-shape'dl end Z2 of said extractor in its depressed position`h that is, ready to engage with the rim of 'a car- A tridge, This construction of extractorhook and spring in one piece is simpler than those three parts.

now in use and is not liable to break or get yout of order. A shoulder CZ is formed on the bolt D, and the sleeve f, carrying the lockinglever F, is mounted upon said bolt between said shoulder d and a flange d, having a small projecting sleeve d2, which is'screwed into the rear end of the bolt D. The sleeve j', in addition to carrying the locking-lever F, has a lug f projecting downwardly from it and adapted to project into an inclined recess f2 in the side and lower part of the receiver E. A -recess f3 is formed in one side of the receiver E, opposite the inclined recess f2, and the locking-lever F is adapted to engage said recess f3 when it is throwh'down and lock the sleeve f against longitudinal movement.

O represents'a Vshield which is 'secured upon "the flange d', shoulder d, and lug Z of the bolt in order to-.efffectuallyxclose inthetop of the ropening inA the"-'re'ceiver. formedon the forward end ofthe'flring-pin G, and behind said Vshoulder is the spiral 1nainspring g2, which 'extends back to and-bjears against the sleeve' cl2 inthe rear end: of the bolt D and always tends to force the firingpin into its forward position.

y The cockingehead HV on the end of the lirin gpin is formed with ai projecting tailpiece 7L,

which' allows the firing-pin to be moved slowly forward by hand if i the trigger I be pulled 'spiral trigger-spring t", while the trigger litself is made in one piece in the form of" a bellrcr'ankrlever and is fulcrumed uponzthe'under side of th'ejreceiver, as indicated at 'i2 in l; The spring t" is preferably coiledaround an upwardly-projecting inclined pin t3, which is riveted or .otherwise secured at its'lower fend to the base of the trigger-guard K.v

The spring and arrangement of the trigger as `above describedlare exceedingly effective, although they are very simple, rtheiwhole of the trigger mechanism consistingvmerely of f `The'operationand lmannerof usinggmy improvedsmagazinelrifle are asy follows: The

Af shoulder g is.

IOO

IIO

bolt D-'having been withdrawn until the lug j contacts with lthe spring-retainingpin J, the

.riiie isy held sothat its right-handy side is downward. Four cartridges are'then dropped through vthe opening ormouth offthemagazine and f one lintorthe receiver, after which Athe rifle is turned into its `ordinaryfposition and-the bolt forcedk forward.`- Theeffect of thismovement of the bolt will'be topush the cartridge Apreviously 'placed in thereceiver y into i position in the barrel, as hereinbefore described, when the trigger' will becocked,

because when the frontend of the cocking- `l head H comes in contact with the sear t' on the trigger I it will be retained against further movement, the mainsprin g g2 meanwhile being compressed by continuing the forward movement of the bolt. When said bolt is home, the locking-lever F is turned down into engagement with a recess f3 in the side of the receiver E, and by the same movement the lug f will be turned into the inclined slot or recess f2 in said receiver and the extractor L will have engaged with the rim of the cartridge in the barrel. The effect of pulling the trigger I will be to withdraw the sear i' from in front of the cooking-head H, which will release the firing-pin G and admit of said pin being propelled forward by the mainspring g2. Vhen the rifle has been fired, the lever F is moved upwardly, thus rotating the sleeve f and moving the lug f out of engagement with .the recess f2 and at the same time moving said lever out of engagement with the recess f3. The bolt D can then be drawn back, the effect of which will be to extract the spent cartridge. When the bolt has been drawn back nearly the full distance, the rim of the shell engages with a notch or recess cut in the inner side of the receiver a little more than the length of the cartridge from the breech end of the barrel, as indicated at e by dotted lines in Fig. l and full lines in Fig. 2, and the shell will be canted slightly as far as the barrel will allow and when completely retracted from the barrel will be ejected, owing to the resistance o n one side of the rim (against the notch or recess in the receiver) `and the backward pull on the other by the extractor. After the cartridge has been ejected a fresh cartridge will immediately-fall by its own weight into the receiver and, as before, will be retained in its proper position (ready to be forced into the barrel) by the spring-stop and guide-piece M, the construction of the magazine being such as to prevent the cartridges becoming jammed in it.

I-Iaving now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is l. In amagazine-rifie, the combination with the barrel anda cartridge-receiver in alinement therewith, of a magazine made integral with or permanently secured to the receiver, said magazine being entirely closed excepting at its bottom and projecting upwardly and outwardly from the receiver and having an opening in its lower end leading directly into one side of the receiver at the same level as the barrel, means for feeding the cartridges into the magazine through the receiver, and

'a yielding stop and guide projecting through the side of the receiver opposite the magazine-opening, substantially as described.

2. In a magazine-ride,- the combination with the barrel and a cartridge-receiver in alinement therewith, of a magazine projecting outwardly and upwardly from said receiver and having its forward end inclined upwardly and rearwardly to cause the rim of each cartridge to fall behind the rim of the cartridge next below means for feeding the cartridge into the magazine through the receiver, and a yielding stop and guide projecting into the receiver through the side of the latter opposite the magazine, substantially as described.

3. In a magazine-rifle, the combination with a receiver and a magazine curved upwardly and outwardly from the receiver and having' an opening in itslower end leading directly into the receiver at the same level as the barrel, of a spring projecting into the receiver through a slot in the opposite side of the receiver, said spring operating to cause the cartridges to be fed one at a time to the receiver and to guide the cartridge into the barrel, substantially as described.

4. In a magazine-ride, the combination with a receiver and a magazine communicating with the receiver at one side of the latter, of a spring projecting into the'receiver through aslot in the opposite side of the receiver, substantially as described and for the purpose speciiied.

THOMAS ROBERT RANEY ASHTON.

Witnesses: f

EDWARD WATERS, J r., PERCY THOMAS I-IEDGES. 

